by Sean Croxton

I can’t believe this day is finally here.

It seems like just yesterday when I first sat down to write a book. That was almost seven years ago. It was a survival guide for college students looking to avoid the Freshman Fifteen. I got about 6 or 7 chapters deep, and for some reason I just stopped writing. I always said I would go back and finish it but I never did.

Then, a couple of years ago I began writing a new book. This one was called Why You’re Fat, Tired, and Sick. Same thing happened. I got about 50 pages into what I thought was some of the best writing. But I couldn’t finish. There was some kind of block on my brain that would not allow me to finish what I had started. It was the epitome of self-sabotage.

My dream of becoming an author goes back to my childhood. My Mom and Dad took reading and education very seriously. I can recall being 6 or 7 years old and getting books in the mail about Abe Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, and The Civil War. As a treat, Mom would take my brother and I on trips to the library. And as I got older I would always find myself wandering around the local Walden Books store absolutely mesmerized by the many shelves of books, titles, and names. I knew that one day I would have my own book – that I would one day become an author.

Today is that day.

Writing a book is not easy. As my writing coach Luke Shanahan says, writing is like a heavyweight boxing match. It’s long. It’s grueling. And it will knock you out in a split second if you don’t keep your guard up.

The last 5 months have been an all-out war. I took plenty of lumps and learned a lot of lessons. My respect for authors has grown exponentially. Writing is a lonely, arduous process. It will kick your butt all over the ring. But like Rocky Balboa says in one of my favorite movie scenes, “you take the hits and keep moving forward.” Once the fight is over and the final bell rings, the triumph of finishing far outweighs the punishment taken.

The biggest lesson this journey has taught me is that there is seldom a goal that can ever be reached without the help of others. In the past, my failures were not only due to an inappropriate mindset but also a lack of teamwork. I had been trying to do everything by myself. Life doesn’t work that way.

Between every round of a boxing match, the boxer returns to his corner where his team awaits to give him the advice and encouragement he needs to keep moving forward.

The Dark Side of Fat Loss isn’t just my book. Yeah, my name is listed as the author, but it would have never come to being without a strong team. I owe these people so much for their hard work and tutelage. The people in my corner included:

* Luke Shanahan – Writing Coach
* Carrie Medeiros – Graphic Designer
* Dr. Marla Brucker – Peak Performance Coach
* Stephanie Matos – Research
* Allyson Drosten-Brooks – Underground Cookbook Coordinator
* Brett Klika – Author, The Underground Workout Manual
* David Sinick – Marketing
* Karl Cossio – Web Design
* Andy Anderson – Underground Workout Manual video filming/editing
* Denise the VA – Underground Workout Manual assistant
* Evelyne & Nathalie Lambrecht – Proofreaders
* The Real Foodists from around the world who submitted recipes/videos

The people above were the difference between winning and losing. I am very grateful for everything they put into this project.

As elated as I am right now, it is not over yet. Yeah, I know I’ve got this fight won, but the final bell has yet to sound. That happens tonight at 5pm PT/8pm ET on UW Radio when we launch DSFL, make the website live for orders, and take you on a journey to The Dark Side.

Thank YOU so much for your support. Without you – the readers, listeners, and viewers – none of this would have ever happened.

My dream will come true. In a matter of hours, I will become an author.

In the meantime, I’ll just keep dancing around the ring with my arms held high.

At 5pm PST tonight, the bell goes ding.

This is how winning is done.

Sean Croxton
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss